


Learning to swim

by scorpyho



Series: name meaning: "god is with us" [3]
Category: NCIS: New Orleans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpyho/pseuds/scorpyho
Summary: Gregorio adjusts to her new life as a mom and working
Series: name meaning: "god is with us" [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1990801
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Learning to swim

As GREGORIO lay in bed, her head was taking her to a land she never wanted to go. EMMY was alone in a darkened room, CLAIRE towered over her and laughing like a maniacal clown. Before anything could come of the scenario, she was thrust awake.  
The space beside her was empty. No small child curled up holding onto her pajamas or hair. GREGORIO walked out of the room, expecting to find EMMY sat in the lounge playing, or trying to read the new books SEBASTIAN got her the other day, but the lounge was empty and the books untouched. As she began to worry she felt a cool breeze come over her, and as she looked down the hall toward the entry way, she knew exactly where EMMY was, and also had no idea where she was. Outside was a big place.

Luckily a five year old's world isn't as big as GREGORIO knew. She found EMMY across the street patting a stray dog she must have heard barking before anyone else was awoken. After all, EMMY didn't exactly sleep soundly. Forgetting to even check for traffic, GREGORIO crossed the street - only lucky it was too early for anyone to be driving.

"EM, you can't just run off like that! You can't leave the house without an adult okay?" GREGORIO tried to remind EMMY of the rules she's told her time and time again - and time and time again had been forgotten.  
EMMY pointed to the dog, trying to prove there was an emergency and that this was an exception. It always was in the eyes of a five year old.  
"No, you have to get someone. I know you wanted to pat the dog. But you need to wake me up. Maybe I want to come pat the dog too!"  
EMMY hadn't thought of it like that. Maybe her mom HAD wanted to pat the dog. Who was she to deny someone of that right? EMMY pulled GREGORIO's hand toward the dog to pet it, telling GREGORIO in her own way that she understood the rules.

While GREGORIO was at home with EMMY, SEBASTIAN and HANNAH were out working a case. SEBASTIAN wanted to keep his friend informed - by “wanted” he meant it was stated if he didn't she would not be giving him any dinner. And her cooking was not to be missed.  
"Can we stop by our house on the way back?" he asked HANNAH, hoping she was as eager to make the pit stop, "Let TAMMY know what's happening with the case."  
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Surely she doesn't want to be interrupted with cases?"  
SEBASTIAN informed HANNAH that she, in fact, did want to be interrupted and his dinner menu was on the line.  
A silence filled the car, before HANNAH broke it.  
"How's she doing?"  
"Who? GREGORIO?", SEBASTIAN knew HANNAH had been around just the other day, and that GREGORIO was messaging her constantly. How would she not know how things were?  
"From an outsiders perspective...I mean, they both went through a lot. Is EMMY doing okay?"  
SEBASTIAN hadn't really considered that what EMMY had been through was impacting her. He didn't see where the autism ended and the trauma began. He felt a little guilty when he realised this.  
“She cries for TAMMY a lot. And she won't sleep without a night light. She screams awake a lot too."  
He didn't mention all the other parts he saw; the hitting, the pinching, the biting. The parts of her filled with anger and no way of knowing how to express that. How do you express something with words when you've only been taught violence?

As the two arrived at the house, they were met with GREGORIO chasing EMMY outside the house with the hose. EMMY in a tutu that was beyond soaking wet, and GREGORIO wearing her pajamas still - which wasn't unusual pre-child either.  
SEBASTIAN was greeted with a very wet hug.  
"SEBBY!"  
He picked up the small child and squeezed what felt like litres of water out of her. He had to admit he missed her, even if it had only been a few hours.  
As soon as EMMY saw HANNAH she hit her. The same reaction she had been getting from the start. HANNAH hoped with time it would ease, but it didn't seem to matter. It felt like EMMY hated HANNAH.

As the adults discussed the case, EMMY is sat at the table colouring in a new Frozen colouring book. SEBASTIAN tried not to be distracted by all the cool images there were to colour. But he did love colouring in with EMMY. 

Before they could notice, EMMY had already climbed up on the table to get something from the other side. No sense in going around, a shortcut works just as well. And this was a perfect height to make momma catch her as she jumped into her arms.  
"Hug!"  
Luckily GREGORIO was always ready for mayhem with EMMY. A tiny tornado - much like GREGORIO heard she was at that age. Climbing everything, running too fast, and finding new ways to scare her parents - all things EMMY had perfected too. While the jump didn't scare GREGORIO or SEBASTIAN - another who had become accustomed to EMMY's fast paced decisions, HANNAH was new to it and certainly didn't expect to have a child flinging herself through the air to arms waiting for her as she talked about a dead navy officer. But EMMY never really cared for the world around her, she didn’t notice the conversation topic, she just knew she wanted a hug.

When SEBASTIAN got home from work it was late. Dinner would have been cooked hours ago and he would have to heat it up - still better than anything he would've made. The house was quiet - the kitchen light was on as well as the TV in the living room. He found his dinner on a plate with a note from EMMY, she had wrote "YUMMY!" with a picture of the dinner he was having. He always kept her little notes. The TV was loud in the silence of the house - something that he wasn't quite used to after hearing the loudness of a five year old. He went to turn the TV off when he found the two asleep on the sofa - GREGORIO with a book in her hand. She looked exhausted, but they both looked peaceful. SEBASTIAN removed the books and pulled a blanket up over them. He could see EMMY's scars on her back and wanted to cry. You could forget the horrors she had seen if not for the physical reminders. As he placed pillows on the ground, in case EMMY fell - a tip he picked up from pappy PRIDE - he heard a small but vibrant "SEBBY". A welcome home from his favourite roommate - as long as he doesn't tell GREGORIO.


End file.
